From Polymarket Predictions To Press-On Nails: Crypto Moves Mainstream

Since blockchain’s inception, consumers have been skeptical of the technology. In 2024, that skepticism is waning.

48% of Americans are still skeptical of cryptocurrencies, down from over 60% the year prior according to a survey from Deutsche bank conducted in April 2024.

Why? Though it’s tempting to attribute this decline in skepticism to the institutionalization of cryptocurrencies – some founders and industry experts credit consumer adoption of non-financial crypto products for the public’s growing confidence.

NFC-chipped press-on nails, Polymarket’s presidential predictions, and tokenization at the DMV represent three consumer products leveraging crypto to solve problems for real-world consumers – without the financial baggage.

Crypto Comes For Beauty

Leah Winberg’s company – Chipped Social – is one such example of a product that has delighted consumers with elements of decentralization and blockchain – without the financial fanfare.

“If you actually abstract the blockchain away from products, people don’t care that they’re working with crypto. If you lead with crypto, people think it’s a scam,” Winberg – founder and CEO of Chipped Social – told me in an original interview. “We found product market fit at conferences with crypto and non-crypto native women, and things have really ballooned from there.”

What is Chipped Social? Chipped puts NFC (near field communication) chips – programmable chips that enable communication between two electronic devices over a distance of 4 centimeters or less – in press-on nails. Yes, press-on nails.

The chips – known as an early example of decentralized technology – allow consumers to connect and share social accounts with the tap of a ‘chipped’ nail to any device.

Winberg told me in an interview: “Absolutely nothing we do that’s outward facing – our messaging – is related to crypto at all. You don’t know [when you program Chipped Social] that you’re doing anything onchain. Everything is abstracted. It’s popular because people see it as a fun way to replace your business card.”

Polymarket’s Presidential Predictions

Polymarket – a platform that uses cryptocurrencies to enable individuals to instantaneously place bets on events – has exploded into mainstream consciousness in 2024 with a similar philosophy: leverage blockchain technology – but don’t lead with it.

Polymarket’s founder Shayne Coplan was quoted in an interview for Forbes this August describing how the platform works: “Polymarket effectively takes what otherwise would be an internet yelling match and turns that into a market where the person who’s right wins. We want our forecast to become ubiquitous and mainstream.”

Though Polymarket uses cryptocurrencies to make and settle bets – the platform’s branding draws interest via bets, not crypto. Consumers leverage the platform to bet on events as varied as this November’s presidential election and the odds that the U.S. government will confirm extraterrestrial life.

With that, Coplan’s wish has been realized. Today, Polymarket has captured the attention of the public: earning 60,000 monthly active users, around $450 million in monthly trading volume, and acknowledgement from public figures and institutions ranging from CNN to President Trump.

This – all without the usual skepticism associated with crypto.

The DMV Goes Onchain

Finally – perhaps 2024’s most impressive breakthrough in consumer adoption is the implementation of tokenization at the DMV. In July the California DMV (Department of Motor Vehicles) finished tokenizing 42 million car titles for civilian’s mobile access by 2025.

How? Ava Labs president John Wu was quoted describing the process for Reuters: “So the first step was creating the 42 million titles associated as a token on the Avalanche Avalanche blockchain, that’s what the State of California DMV has already done and now what they’re doing is they’re creating a wallet where you download on your phone.”

When civilians access their car titles in California in 2025 – it will only be evident to the most discerning individuals that their titles are tokenized. Ava Labs and Deloitte representatives involved with the implementation reference their interest in solving two problems: reducing the need for in-person DMV visits and deterring lien fraud. When civilians access their car titles in California in 2025 – it will only be evident to the most discerning individuals that their titles are tokenized. Ava Labs and Deloitte representatives involved with the implementation reference their interest in solving two problems: reducing the need for in-person DMV visits and deterring lien fraud.

If eliminating the pain of spending hours at the DMV doesn’t elevate crypto’s brand in the eyes of consumers, what will?

A Growing Body of Use Cases

Blockchain as an industry has long fought the criticism that ‘there are no real world use cases’.

Now that the industry’s purely financial use cases have matured – Bitcoin Bitcoin and Ethereum Ethereum ETFs have gained approval and institutional capital has flooded into the market – the demonstration of real-world consumer use cases could be the next step in the journey to global adoption.

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